In my father's home, we the children had many experiences helping care for the daily duties of buying and selling. My father was very industrious and served in many capacities. Many of his endeavors were such that his children could help by becoming part of the project is accomplished.
One of the pieces of equipment we all used as the scales used to determine the weight of products. We all learned that an accurate weight solved many problems, and was essential for the operation of many transactions. Both the potatoes and seed potatoes which we raised always required an accurate weight. We had gone to a great effort to raise high-quality products, and selling them honestly was another important step in the production and distribution processes.
My father was secretary of the Cattlemen's Association for Mount Pleasant. One of his duties was to obtain and distribute rock salt for the Association. He would buy a truckload of rock salt and store it in our barn. The children always had to help because moving that much material was a lot of work. Everyone contributed to labor in order to make this project succeed.
Most of the salt was used in the mountains during the summer in the area between Birch Creek on the north and Cedar Creek on the south. It supplied the needs of about eighteen hundred head of range cattle. Everyone who could assist was needed to make this project a success. Some of his kids weighed the rock salt as Association members came to pick up their share of the material.
Accountability, as to where the salt was distributed was very important. My father also belonged to the County Farm Bureau. One of his jobs was to maintain and operate a distribution point for rodent poison control. In short, he had to obtain, prepare, and distribute agricultural poison used to control mice, ground dogs, and gophers. Poisoned oats were one of the principal poisons he handled.
Father had a small building on our farm where he could store a supply of oats, we always were involved in the preparation process. I had to make certain that the count was always correct, and I had to stack it in the poison storage house.
Most of the time they would deliver 200 bags, and each bag was made of heavy material and sealed tight. If it was fresh, it was very good. But if it dried out, it soon lost its ability to kill ground dogs. My dad would mix the ingredients for poison wheat. To do so, he would cook the stuff on the stove along with the other ingredients. When it reached the right temperature, he would pour it over the wheat in a big tub. He mixed it so that every kernel of wheat was covered but not too wet.
We would then help him place the material into small paper sacks which each held about one cup of the poisoned wheat. When it was fresh, it was very effective for mice and sparrows. For gophers, they usually would usually have a trained specialist come and treat carrots with straight strychnine. I was always involved in selling the poison material because people would come by the farm at all times of the day.
The cost was relatively cheap, so lots of people came. We would get the key, unlock the poison house, get what they wanted, then have them sign the register. We would then collect the money and lock the storage building. As times changed and more controls were placed on poisons, our distribution center was closed, and I tore down the building. The poisons that were leftover were transferred to Manti. As far as I remember, the poison service was generally discontinued. Sometime later, I went to Manti to try to get some poison for my use, but all they had on hand was the old stuff I had transferred to them previously. I knew that the old stuff was too old to be effective.
When I started buying wool, I accepted the responsibility of handling shearing supplies, wool bags, sheep paint, marking chalk, and sheep hooks and poles. When things were done as a service for customers, there was on cost except for the supplies. I hope that my interest in the business of farming will be a good example for those who follow.
